Permanent Residency for Friendly Nations

Citizens from any of the 48 nations considered “friendly” to Panama can move here with their immediate family and acquire a faster permanent residency visa than any other Panama visa. To qualify, the friendly citizen can either buy an existing Panama business or create a new business here or be employed in a professional capacity for a Panama professional services company. The 48 friendly nations are: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Marino, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United States of America, Uruguay, United Kingdom (Great Britain & Northern Ireland).

Note: The two visas above are the only ones granting immediate permanent residency. The visas below require a two year provisional temporary residency period before qualifying for permanent residency.Professional Employment Visa: Foreigners working for a Panama company in a “professional” capacity paying social security taxes and holding a college degree and a professional license (if required by his or her country) can become a permanent resident after two years of being a temporary resident. The term “professional” is not limited to the definition in Panama’s Constitution or the laws defining a professional for citizens.

Description of the process

To obtain the permanent residency in the Republic of Panama, according to the Friendly Nations Program, upon having all of the required documents in our office, we shall proceed to:

Register the applicant and dependents´ passports.

Submit the application to the National Immigration Service together with all the required documents.

Upon receipt of the application, proceed to pay the temporary ID, the client must visit the immigration office to receive such ID´s.

Multiple Entry Visa application is filed for the applicant’s entry and exit of the country while the immigration process is under evaluation, to avoid incurring fines of up to $2000.00 per person.

Approximately 4-6 months later, the resolution is issued, which approves or denies the immigration visa.

If approved, the clients must visit the Immigration Office to have their pictures taken and receive the permanent resident cards.

Optional: 45-60 days after reception of the permanent residency cards, clients are entitled to obtain a Panamanian